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Basic DIY Lip Balm Recipe

Lip balm is truly one of the easiest and most inexpensive beauty products to create at home. Not only is crafting your own surprisingly simple, you’ll have full control over all of the ingredients and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re putting pure, natural, and organic elements on your lips!

Let's Make Lip Balm!

Basic Recipe

As a general rule, blend 3 parts carrier oil to 1 part beeswax, and add 1 part plant-based butter if using. Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax, butter, and oils in a small pot or glass measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double-boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and vitamin E oil (a natural preservative). Immediately pour the mixture into clear or white tubes. You can also purchase tins or glass jars for a more manual application. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers.

One of the great things about making lip balm is that it's almost impossible to mess up! You can always remelt it and add more ingredients until you are satisfied with the final product. I often do this when creating a new lip balm recipe, since it doesn't always come out perfectly the first time.

a Vegan Alternative

I've found that organic carnuaba wax can be used in place of the beeswax, though it hardens much quicker than beeswax. You will likely want to use about half as much carnuaba as you would beeswax.

Pro Tips

If your lip balm is too soft, re-melt it and add more beeswax. If it is too hard, re-melt and add more oil. You can also adjust your recipes with the seasons: harder lip balms are better for warm summer weather and softer lip balms are great during colder times of year. Add essential oils at your discretion. A general amount is 2 drops per container, but this varies depending upon the essential oil used. Less is better when it comes to essential oils, as you don’t want to end up with lip balm that will sting or irritate your lips!

Citrus essential oils can be phototoxic. In 14 years of making and using citrus lip balms, I have never experienced any problems with this, but I also live in Oregon where it is overcast for much of the year! If you live in a sunny climate, you may choose to be more cautious with the amount of citrus essential oils added, omit them completely, or swap with another essential oil of your choosing.

Mandarin Nutmeg Lip Balm Recipe

This sweet, citrusy, and warming lip balm has just a hint of spice. Made with organic mandarin and nutmeg essential oils and other botanical ingredients.

Looking for Lovely Lip Balm Ideas?

Irene, Chief Marketing & Customer Officer, supervises the daily operations of all our customer-facing activities at Mountain Rose Herbs. When she isn’t ensuring your experience aligns with the goals and mission of our company, she can be found taking care of her adorable twin boys, crafting her own line of body care products, and even harvesting wild plants and gardening.